Saturday, 29 August 2015

Mama Mary to ‘receive’ carillon birthday gift

Mama Mary to ‘receive’ carillon birthday gift

PARAÑAQUE City, Aug. 28, 2015 – Guess what, besides flowers and
prayers, the Redemptorist religious and Marian devotees of Baclaran have
something more to offer the Queen of Heaven on her forthcoming
birthday: a carillon bell tower.

Bells of St. Mary

The sky-high structure is expected to be blessed by no less than
Manila Archbishop Luís Antonio G. Cardinal Tagle at 6 a.m. on Sept. 8,
the Feast of the Nativity of Mary, the official social media page of the
National Shrine of Our Mother of Perpetual Help (OMPH) announces.

A coffee shop near the base of the tower dubbed Café María is also set for inauguration.

A part of Baclaran’s carillon bell tower as seen from the ground (Photo: Raymond A. Sebastián)

A Mass will be celebrated right after.

Redevelopment Project

Fr. Joseph O. Echano, shrine rector and head of Baclaran’s
Redemptorist community, invites the public to witness and be part of the
historic event.In an interview with CBCP News, the priest said the decision to build
the carillon bell tower is in line with the ongoing beautification and
redevelopment of the shrine ahead of the 150th anniversary in 2016 of
the papal entrustment of the Perpetual Help icon to the Congregation of
the Most Holy Redeemer (C.Ss.R.).

Vibrant devotion

According to Echano, the number of visitors to the shrine on a
regular Wednesday alone is estimated at 100,000, but this can balloon to
as many as 150,000 and beyond on the first Wednesday of the month.

Costing Php 10,084,000, the carillon bell tower which devotees and
pilgrims helped fund features mosaics of Our Mother of Perpetual Help on
each side. (Raymond A. Sebastián / CBCP News)